Medieval Iceland Society, Sagas, and Power [Paperback]

The history of medieval Europe is incomplete if it does not take Iceland into account. Jesse Byock's reassessment of medieval Iceland uses all the available sourcesthe medieval Icelanders' historical writings, extensive saga literature, and intricate lawsto explore the way Iceland's social order functioned.

Jesse L. Byockteaches Old Norse and medieval Scandinavian subjects at the University of California, Los Angeles and is the author ofFeud in the Icelandic Saga(1982).

Byock's book is atour-de-forceof historical argument. He brilliantly reconstructs the inner workings of an intriguing society, not elsewhere to be found in the Western world. David Herlihy, History Book Club